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Photos:Colorado movie theater massacre

The public gets its first glimpse of James Holmes, then 24, the suspect in the Colorado theater shooting during his initial court appearance July 23, 2012. With his hair dyed reddish-orange, Holmes, here with public defender Tamara Brady, showed little emotion. He is accused of opening fire in a movie theater July 20, 2012, in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people and wounding 70. Holmes faces 166 counts, almost all alleging murder or attempted murder. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. More photos: Mourning the victims of the Colorado theater massacre

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Photos:Colorado movie theater massacre

Police release the official photo from Holmes' booking after the shooting.

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Holmes often had a blank stare during his July 23, 2012, court appearance, seeming to be in a daze.

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Victims and their relatives and journalists watch the proceedings in 2012.

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Flags fly at half-staff on July 23, 2012, at the Arapahoe County Courthouse in Centennial, Colorado, where the movie theater shooting suspect had his first court appearance. The murder counts against Holmes carry a possible death penalty.

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Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers talks to reporters July 23, 2012, before heading into the courthouse. The murder counts against Holmes carry a possible death penalty.

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Family members of the victims arrive at the courthouse July 23, 2012, for the suspect's first court appearance.

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The Century Aurora 16 multiplex in Aurora becomes a place of horror after a gunman opened fire July 20, 2012, in a crowded theater.

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Holmes is accused of opening fire during a midnight screening of the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises." Holmes purchased four weapons and more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition, police say.

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Police investigate outside the Century 16 multiplex July 21, 2012, a day after the mass shooting.

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Agents search the suspect's car outside the theater.

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Aurora police escort a sand-filled dump truck containing improvised explosive devices removed from Holmes' booby-trapped apartment on July 21, 2012. Authorities have said they believe the suspect rigged his place before leaving for the movie theater.

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Police break a window at the suspect's apartment July 20, 2012, in Aurora.

Asking more people than usual to come to court for high-profile cases is common in the U.S. justice system, given concerns many of them already know the story and have strong opinions about it.

In Florida, for example, there was a 500-person jury pool for the now-ongoing murder trial of George Zimmerman, who is accused in the killing of teenager Trayvon Martin -- a case that drew national headlines for weeks.

So too, of course, did what happened just after midnight the night of July 20, 2012, in the Denver suburb of Aurora.

It was then and there, authorities say, that a man walked through an exit door into a crowded Theater 9 of the Century movie complex as a late-night premiere of the Batman sequel "The Dark Knight Rises" played.

The former neuroscience graduate student wore all-black, a ballistic helmet, a tactical ballistic vest, protective leggings, a throat and groin protector, and a gas mask, police say. And he carried an arsenal that included two Glock handguns, an AR-15 rifle, a shotgun and 6,295 rounds of ammunition, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent Steve Beggs has testified.

"He didn't care who he killed," prosecutor Karen Pearson told a judge during a preliminary court hearing in January, adding Holmes chose his venue carefully to cage his victims. "He intended to kill them all."

After the carnage and Holmes' subsequent capture outside the theater, he was charged with 166 counts of murder, attempted murder and weapons violations.

Since his arrest, much of the in-court discussion has resolved around Holmes' mental state.

Judge Samour earlier this month accepted the defense's plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. He was then taken to the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo for evaluation, and is expected to be back in Arapahoe County Jail on August 2.

Prosecutors in Arapahoe County announced in April they would seek the death penalty.

Despite the notoriety of the mass shooting, the judge ruled Thursday that the empaneled jury will not be sequestered, as Holmes' defense team requested. Making it so they couldn't go home throughout the prolonged trial, Samour said, was an "unnecessarily drastic, expensive and impractical remedy that ... will create an extreme and undue hardship for jurors."

The judge also ruled against the defense's attempt to prevent jurors from using phones or computers, barring their use in court but saying preventing them from using them outside is "unreasonable and unfair."

One thing jurors won't be able to see is restraints on Holmes.

As someone accused of "multiple violent crimes," Samour says that Holmes must be restrained carefully during his trial.

But the judge said he needn't wear handcuffs or shackles. Instead, the judge ruled, Holmes will "wear a harness under his clothing which will not be visible to the jury" and will be anchored to the floor.